were at that time dealings
under truce with the men of Tegea, he had come to a forge there and was
looking at iron being wrought; and he was in wonder as he saw that which
was being done. The smith therefore, perceiving that he marvelled at it,
ceased from his work and said: "Surely, thou stranger of Lacedemon, if
thou hadst seen that which I once saw, thou wouldst have marvelled much,
since now it falls out that thou dost marvel so greatly at the working
of this iron; for I, desiring in this enclosure to make a well, lighted
in my digging upon a coffin of seven cubits in length; and not believing
that ever there had been men larger than those of the present day,
I opened it, and I saw that the dead body was equal in length to the
coffin: then after I had measured it, I filled in the earth over it
again." He then thus told him of that which he had seen; and the other,
having thought upon that which was told, conjectured that this was
Orestes according to the saying of the Oracle, forming his conjecture
in the following manner:--whereas he saw that the smith had two pairs of
bellows, he concluded that these were the winds spoken of, and that the
anvil and the hammer were the stroke and the stroke in , and that the
iron which was being wrought was the trouble laid upon trouble, making
comparison by the thought that iron has been discovered for the evil of
mankind. Having thus conjectured he came back to Sparta and declared the
whole matter to the Lacedemonians; and they brought a charge against him
on a fictitious pretext and drove him out into exile. 83 So having come
to Tegea, he told the smith of his evil fortune and endeavoured to hire
from him the enclosure, but at first he would not allow him to have it:
at length however Lichas persuaded him and he took up his abode there;
and he dug up the grave and gathered together the bones and went with
them away to Sparta. From that time, whenever they made trial of one
another, the Lacedemonians had much the advantage in the war; and by now
they had subdued to themselves the greater part of Peloponnesus besides.

69. Croesus accordingly being informed of all these things was sending
messengers to Sparta with gifts in their hands to ask for an alliance,
having commanded them what they ought to say: and they when they came
said: "Croesus king of the Lydians and also of other nations sent us
hither and saith as follows: O Lacedemonians, whereas the god by an
oracle bade me join